The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-09
AN AM0R0US OLD FRAUD.
HARPER MADE LOVE TO HIS FAIR
EXCHANGE CLERK.

Kisses and Promises of q Ride They
Took Just Before the Crash Came
A Messenger Betrayed the Old Rep
robate's Confidence by Appro-
Itpriating Letters Given Him to De-
liver.
CINCINNATI, Dec. S.--The Enquirer this
morning prints fac smile letters, which it
says were furnished by Charles Hopkins,
son of the Assistant Cashier, Benjamin Il.
Hopkins, of the Fidelity Bank. They pur-
port to be letters sent by Harper to Miss
Josie Holmes, his former exchange
clerk. 1t is explained that after
the failure, Harper professed the
warmest friendship for his assistant
cashier, Hopkins, and promised TO do every
thing that could be done to shield him.
Young Hopkins was correspondingly kind
to Harper and became his messenger to
carry letters to and from Miss Holmes.
While in this office he began to suspect that
Harper was arranging to shirk upon Hop
kins the responsibility ofall the transactions
with grain brokers' and young Hopkins, TO
place Harper within his power, conceived
the bold design of concealing the letters
and delivering verbal messages only.
HARPER FURIOUS.
This worked we'll enough until Miss
Holmes visited the jail. Harper was furious
upon learning of the treachery of his mes
senger, and has since been cold toward Flop
kins. The letters were III cipher, which was
easily read. Harper also sent three checks
to Miss Holmes, which Hopkins suppressed
and turned over to District Attorney Bur-
net They aggregated $700,00 and it is
presumed they were intended to be placed
so as to cover up some of the crooked
transactions of his bank. One for $500, 900
was dated Feb. 2S. The others were for
$500, 900 each and were dated June 81 The
letters of Harper to Mi S Holmes are as ar
dent as those of any lover colld be. In the
first one he instructed her about what she
should say in her testimony. She answered
saying she would be as evasive as she could
be, but feared she could not testify as he
wanted her to. She said he had made a
botch sending "H." to see her, and asked
him why he did not go when he had a
chance. She asked him to send her law
yer to advise her how to testify.
PRoTEsTATIoNs OF LOVE.
To this Harper replied with many pro-
testatiOns of love for his bright angel, and
upbraided her for her coldness, and espe-
cially for her cool suggestion that he should
have flown. 1t looked to him as though she
wanted to get rid of him. He re-
minded her Of his talk during their
last ride together, that he said
separation, and that she said that would be,
and pressing a kiss on his lips said she would
go to prison with him, or if that could not
be would visit him daily. He begged her to
get well and come TO him before she got
into the safe deposit box, otherwise all
would be spoiled. He also urged her TO de-
cline to be interviewed. In one Of her notes
Miss Holmes said to Harper: "Your wife
has 100000. l have nothing now to do but
to die, with your. family disgracing me as
they have done in the last two days"
READY FOR THE DEFENSE.
The examination of witnesses for the pros
ecution was concluded to-day, without
adding further sensation. Then Judge
Wilson asked the court to give him n little
time to prepare for opening the case for the
defense, and the court adjourned until to-
morrow at 10 o'clock. 1t is expected that
Harper will be placed on the stand, and
that no other witness will be called. The
prosecution made no reference to the publi-
cation of the cipher letters between Harper
and Miss Holmes.
CLENCHES HIS TEETH.
Harper was seen at the Jail this morning
by reporter and was asked what he had TO
say about the publication of his letters to
MISS Holmes. Harper paused a moment,
and then, with clenched teeth, said: "You
can say that Charley Hopkins d id not pub
lish other letters that would have benefited
me as much as it would his father, and that
he did not publish anything about the $40
gave HIM for her. Now will you
excuse mep and he finished his
toilet and went upstairs, where his
wife and his sister were in waiting to take
him to the court room. In the court room
Harper gave his usunl polite attention to his
wife, and showed but little trace Of trouble
His wife, however, sat like statue, as
though oblivious of her surroundings. There
is no doubt of the authenticity of the letter.
Edward M. Watson, the attorney sent
from Washington to assist District At
torney Burnet in the Harper trial, died sud
denly last evening at the residence of Dr.
Kemper, from the rupture of blood vessel.
The love letter episode makes world of
sympathy for Mrs. Harper, but it creates
correspondingiy hard feeling against Har-
per. The court, upon the close of the gov
ernment's testimony to day, of its own
motion ruled out four of tue counts in the
indictment as being imperfectly drawn
AS there are 55 counts in all, these show but
a small figure TO the defendants credit 1t
is an unusual and remarkable fact that not
single exception has so far been taken to
any ruling of the court. Moreover, the
rulings have generally been made with but
little argument.